I attended the May 13^th board meeting for esthetics and found the opening comments and follow-up board discussion regarding teaching the theory portion of esthetics in an online format very interesting.  When I attended esthetics school, theory for the basic and master levels were taught in the classroom.  I feel the bricks and mortar classroom prepared me very well for working under a physician and then on to opening my own establishment.

Technology has changed where almost all educational institutions offer some courses online and it is only natural that esthetics training should keep up-to-date in this area.  I know there are several schools in Virginia that offer esthetics training to some degree online, but esthetics, like barbering and cosmetology, are totally hands-on professions and there are some areas where online training is not applicable.  Also, the online format is not for everyone because each person has their own learning style.  That being said, I agree with the board that only a small portion of theory should be taught online.  I further agree that the online portion, if offered, should be kept to topics that are equally taught across the board in barbering, cosmetology and esthetics like introduction to each profession, state regulations, safety and sanitation and ethics.  Will all schools teach the same material?  If not, will schools be given guidelines to follow to make sure the material taught is consistent?

In esthetics hands-on training is important because students need to understand how to properly analyze the skin, how to determine skin texture and how the skin reacts to products and equipment that may be used.  These areas are hard to grasp when taught online because there are many variables where something can go wrong.  A student needs to be able to look at the skin and anticipate what might be happening and be able to resolve the problem quickly.  These concepts cannot be taught online because each client a professional works on is unique.

Teaching theory entirely online does not prepare students for job placement or working in the industry.  Students who want to work in the medical/clinical arena are at a real disadvantage because most physicians want estheticians they hire to be able to start off immediately working with patients without much training (except for training that may be required on specialized equipment).  Physicians feel it is a waste of their time to train an esthetician and will give that task to a nurse which may, in some cases, eliminate the need for estheticians in the clinical arena.  If a student wants to open their own facility they may find themselves set up for failure if they have only had concepts taught in theory.  Practitioners have to be prepared for any type of situation that theory concepts might not address.  From a business standpoint, marketing a business, retailing products, selection of products and equipment, how to structure a business, accounting (what is needed for tax purposes), location of an establishment, insurance, etc. should all be taught in the classroom. 

I have attended and graduated from college where I attended bricks and mortar classrooms and also used the online format.  For topics that may be taught online, however, certain things should be considered:

1. How will a student’s personal information be kept confidential?  Log-on access should some way be tied to their license number and each student should create an entry password.

2. When a student is working online, there should be a way for the system to keep track of how long a student is online (i.e., the student has to be actively engaged in working on their assignment(s), not just logging on and walking away leaving the portal open).  Instructors should also be able to monitor this for each student.

3. Tests should be proctored.  A computer(s) should be made available at all schools where students can take tests in a secured area to make sure that the actual student is taking the test instead of someone else.  Tests should also be timed so students cannot log-in and out to check notes or confer with other students.  Upon completion of tests, a student should be able to receive their score immediately or at least within 24 hours.  Will parameters be put in place for retakes?  If so, a time limit should be established.  Students should be reminded that the state licensing examination(s) will be administered as previously established.

4. The Board will determine how much, if any, online material and tests will be a part of the apprenticeship program.  If any portion is done online and testing required, safety measures and a facility should be made available similar to that for in-class students.

5. There should be no extra expense to the student for tuition because of the online format.  Schools may need to re-evaluate the amount they currently charge for enrollment and adjust their tuition fees accordingly.  A school’s tuition will cover any additional videos, slide presentations and e-books used as part of the school’s instruction.

One area where the online format can be beneficial is in continuing education (CE).  At present Virginia does not require estheticians to earn CEs to renew their license and this should be changed.  Many states already have this as part of their regulations.  I was on the panel that brought our current regulations before the General Assembly and I worked hard to have CEs included as part of the renewal process, but I was voted down by the panel.  Esthetics and the beauty industry are expanding rapidly and if we do not make it mandatory for estheticians to complete CEs to renew their license(s), many will fail to grow in the industry.  Mandatory CE requirements help licensed professionals to become more marketable not only in the clinical arena but also if an esthetician wants to relocate to another state.  A well-educated esthetician is beneficial to their clientele and the industry. 

Since Virginia licenses are renewed every two years, make it mandatory that professionals complete 8-10 CE hours prior to renewal.  It may be necessary to have everyone have the same renewal date (like September 30^th of each year) instead of having each professional’s renewal date reflect when they initially received their license.  This is how it is done in some states.  The board should look at this very seriously and make the change to the current regulations. 

Conscientious esthetic professionals are going out-of-state for additional training and those dollars should be kept in-state.  It will be up to the professional to keep track of their CE hours and turn them in when they renew their license with no one class repeated in a 12-month cycle.  This would create less paperwork for the board to keep track of.  Fifty percent (50%) of CE hours earned should broaden the knowledge of esthetics for the professional and for instructors 50% of hours earned should be on teacher/training techniques and enhancing the ability to communicate.  There should also be an exemption clause for mandatory CEs for estheticians and instructors who are 60+ years of age and who can also show 10 years of consecutive work/teaching experience.

It will be a tremendous undertaking on the part of schools to make the theory topics available online.  It was suggested at the board meeting that this be instituted beginning January 2014.  Half of calendar 2013 is already over and if schools are to comply, it may take more than 6 months for them to update their curriculum, syllabus, to get a computer(s) on-site and train their instructors.  I would strongly recommend instituting the online training as well as considering CEs for license renewal to begin July 1, 2014.  This would give you and all parties involved time to implement these changes.

Thank you for taking time to read my recommendations and I would be happy to meet with you to discuss them further.